Aftermath
by Lowink
Summary: The Akatsuki is finally defeated and peace is headed towards the leaf village. Sakura is doing what she does best, healing and helping those that are dear to her, but something is missing. Follow along on her journey of self discovery and revel in the fact that she won't be a useless lump anymore. Slowburn.
1. Chapter 1

There was a time when Sakura thought the only thing she ever wanted was to marry Sauske, have his children, and live a happy life, but those were just silly childlike dreams. Sakura was in no way a child anymore. Granted, she wasn't a full adult either. At twenty years old she was sitting right on the edge of adulthood and young adult. In shinobi years she would be looked on as a senior, but as a human, Sakura didn't quite feel like one yet.

After the war all she wanted to do was breakdown, if just for a minute, and cry into her mother's arms. To let the weight of the world fall off her shoulders and let her guard down just for a moment, but she was a ninja, and ninjas were to never let their guard down. So instead of breaking down, she stayed up right and did her part. She healed, healed like never before. She lost count of how many civilians and comrades she healed, but it didn't matter. This was what she was here for. Why for some godforsaken reason she was spared when so many weren't.

After the healing was done she helped rebuild the communities and shops that were destroyed by Pein. Long hours and long days passed. Sakura, or anyone for that matter, rarely noticed. Exhaustion usually overtook the bodies of the hard workers once they got to their temp campsites, so no one really had time to think over the day or really the last couple months.

Once things felt like they were finally getting back to somewhat normal, people began to talk and wonder, Sakura included. Who would be the new Hokage? After Tsunade's decision to step down, the seat had been open, and no talk about who would fill it. Everyone thought that Naruto would be the one to fill the position, but after Sauske once again left after everything that had happened, it was a silent agreement by everyone that he needed a little bit more time.

The answer to their questions came in the form of a village wide meeting.

"All civilians and ninjas alike, please gather at the memorial stone for a very important announcement in 15 minutes." The announcement was broadcasted over the entire village through the megaphones that had been put in place after the war for better communication.

Sakura was happy that they were finally going to get some answers, the past couple days people had been a bit skittish about not having a leader.

She began her way to the memorial stone lost in her thoughts of what the meeting could be about when she ran into Ino.

"My bet's on Kakashi" Ino grinned as she walked in step with her friend "They'd be stupid not to appoint him."

"Well duh," Sakura rolled her eyes. "He's one of the only people that's trustworthy enough at the moment."

"You're not wrong about that," Ino muttered as she eyed the people walking around them. Danzo had also been a common voice whispered throughout the village about being the next hokage, and Sakura was hoping that he would never get close to another position of power ever again.

The memorial stone was crowed by people. Meetings containing the whole village usually took place by the Hokage tower to accommodate the mass amount of people and the area surrounding the memorial stones barely fit all of them. Sakura spotted Kiba and a couple of others opting for the trees instead of rubbing elbows on the ground. She silently wished to be up there with them but knew her Shishu would disapprove if she were to see her.

A circle formed in front of the stone as Tsunade stepped in front of it. Proud and tall, but not in a overly confident way. She looked more like a woman who had seen too much war and death but has gotten through it all with hope remaining. She was a force to be reckoned with.

"Thank you for gathering here today. As you all know this village has been through hell and back in the past few years. There has been more death and despair here than I have seen in a long time." At the mention of death Sakura watched as the faces of her people fell to one of remorse. "But that is not to say that I have not seen this village also come together in this time of need. I have never been so proud to say that you are my people, my friends, my comrades. The strongest group of people I have ever had the pleasure of knowing. You have seen your home in rubble and ashes and instead of leaving to find a new place to call your own, you have all stayed to help rebuild and watch the place you love be reborn again."

Sakura had never been so grateful for her teacher before, as Tsunade spoke, an air of unity floated over the people gathered, they were one and they always would be. No amount of pain could change that.

"I asked you to meet here so that we could remember the fallen, together." Tsunade motioned to the stone before her, "These people, these friends, did not die in vain. They died for the village, for it's people and the love it instilled in everyone in it. Each one of them was brave beyond words. Let us never forget them." There was a moment of silence as everyone read over the names on the stone once again, cementing them forever in their minds.

Sakura looked over the names of people she once knew (thankfully her close friends were spared from deaths grip), the owner of a shop she religiously bought her vegetables and fruits from, jounin she would never get to go on missions with now, mothers, sons, people.

Death would always impact Sakura no matter what. She could never look at a dead person and feel nothing. She would ache for them, foe or not, that their life had come to an end. It was one of the reasons why she was a medic, she tried as hard as she could everyday to not have to feel those emotions. Tsunade (and Kakashi) had told her time and time again that she had to disassociate herself from getting attached, that it was part of the job, and the only way to get through it without breaking down into an overwhelming mess.

Sakura didn't think of it as an attachment, she barely knew any of the foes she killed or the people she failed to heal in time. It was more of a feeling of sadness for the world and the people who were taken too soon.

She was brought out of her thoughts by the sound of Tsunade starting to speak again.

"There will be countless beginnings and ends in this lifetime. Today marks the end of my reign as Hokage and the end of our suffering. We are finally headed towards a state of peace throughout the land. Our allegiances are stronger than ever, and new allies are coming forward every day." A cheer went up in the crowd, "Today is also a beginning." Tsunade smiled mischievously, "I know there has been talk about who the new Hokage would be, and we are here to put the rumors to rest. I am proud to announce that Hatake Kakashi of the Hatake clan will be your new leader."

Sakura searched the crowd looking for the newly named Hokage and when she found him she wasn't surprised that Kakashi looked thoroughly unaffected by the newfound commotion happening around him. His shinobi comrades were clapping him on the back and offering words of congratulations whereas the civilians looked upon him in awe.

Kakashi made his way up to the stone and stood by Tsunade. The former Hokage placed a hand on her successors shoulder and gave a small squeeze.

"Believe it or not, I've finally been able to convince this brat to take on the role." Tsunade smirked. Kakashi rolled his eye at being called a brat but Sakura could see that it was in good nature.

"Other than being lazy, I know that Kakashi is going to be a great leader to you all. He is just and wise and his loyalty to Konoha is unwavering," Tsunade continued, "His induction ceremony will be held in a few months, depending on the progress of the village, but as of today Kakashi will be acting as the new Hokage." Tsunade bowed and started to clap, soon the whole memorial ground was filled with cheering and applause.

Kakashi still looked impassive but if Sakura looked close enough she could see the smallest hint of his signature eye smile. She knew that Kakashi had never wanted to be in any position of power but he was happy that the village was happy, and Sakura knew that he would try his hardest no matter what. This was his new mission and Kakashi never failed a mission.

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 **Hi there! After reading tons of brilliant fanfics on this site I've decided to try my hand at it, it's going to be a rough and bumpy road but I have big plans for this story so bear with me. Please leave some love! I would really appreciate it.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's another chapter because I'm feeling inspired! This is KakuSaku just to make that clear so if you don't like that stop reading. That being said it is a slow burn, we're boarding the pain train. I like a lot of build up and I want to shape Sakura into her own person before she starts getting cozy with anyone. Please leave some love as it makes me want to write more, and feel free to leave constructive criticism as this is my first fic and could use it! Thanks for reading!**

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The sun was barely rising when Sakura awoke. She donned her red dress and black shorts and wandered out of the tent in search of some tea. Not many people were up due to the early hour, the ones who were kept to themselves and their morning routines. Being in the temporary camp exposed even the most introverted person. Sakura now knew that Kiba always had a cup of orange juice and two eggs, sunny side up, every morning. Lee runs around the campsite one hundred times when he hears the first bird chirp. She knew things she never cared to know of, but she could write a whole damn book about Konoha's morning routines if she pleased.

She made her way to the recreation tent and found herself some tea. Tea was now part of her morning routine. It never used to be, being on missions so often made it difficult to find time to boil water, but her work didn't start until 8 and her body woke up at 6 so she made her own habits to fill the time.

Sakura took her cup, threw a wave to the guards on duty, and began her trek to training ground eight. It was one of the few training grounds that had stayed in tact through everything, and had recently became one of her favorite places to be.

Leaning against a tree, she fell into a state of meditation. It was nice to have a clear mind for once. Thoughts of the war had recently been plaguing her mind, and it wasn't something she liked to dwell on for long, especially by herself.

She sat and listened to the rustling of squirrels and how the soft breeze moved the leaves. It was peaceful and heartwarming to hear. Life was striving and that's all Sakura wanted.

"Sakura, I feel like I always seem to find you here." She opened her eyes to see a blank faced Yamato staring at her.

"Sensei! What are you doing here? I thought you were supposed to be in Suna discussing the progression of the allied shinobi sources." Sakura was shocked but happy to see her old teacher back in Konoha, it had been to long since she had seen him.

"I actually just got back, I was headed to the Hokage tower to talk with Kakashi-Kun and decided to cut through here, but I'd love to have a chat with my favorite student." He gestured towards the spot by Sakura, "May I?"

"Of course," Sakura scooted over so that Yamato could also comfortably lean against the tree. "How is Suna then? And Gaara? And Kankuro? And Temari?" Yamato gave a small chuckle at her questioning.

"They're all good, honestly. The Kazekage is quite influential on the surrounding villages. Many of them have come forward out of hiding to join the alliance." He folded his hands and rested them behind his head, "Temari and Kankuro are just as interesting as ever. Kankuro's puppets are still somehow fascinating and creepy at the same time and Temari can still scare poor genin with one look."

Sakura's gaze drifted towards the village, "How are the people?" she whispered, nervous of bringing up what felt like a sacred secret. Yamato was less cautious, but he was always more upfront than any of them.

"It's been tough, depressed civilians don't make for a happy place to be around," Sakura let out the breathe she didn't realize she knew she was holding. It was the answer she was expecting but it didn't make it any easier to hear.

"It's harder to explain what happened to the civilians than to shinobi," Yamato continued, "The infinite tsukuyomi only lasted two days in real time but felt like years." Sakura knew exactly what he was talking about, she had been in it too. It felt like she had lived a whole life only to wake up and realize it had been two days.

"It's been hard for them to get back to their normal ways after watching their precious dreams come true only to find out that's all it had been, a dream." Yamato glanced at Sakura, "You know you can talk about it Sakura-chan, in fact it's encouraged. It helps, I promise." Ah Yamato, the ever wise one, always knew how to bring Sakura out of her comfort zone.

Sakura sighed, "What did you see Sensei?" She quickly retracted, "I mean you don't have to tell me if you don't want, it is incredibly personal. I totally understand. I don't even know why I asked, like what the heck Sakura what were yo-"

"I was a respectful man" Yamato cut off Sakura's rambling, "And I was officially appointed leader of team 7 with Sauske still a part of it. We went on hundreds of successful missions, and we would come home to a village that was happy to see me alive and well" He had a wishful smile on his face and Sakura felt a pang of sympathy for the man. She respected him and she knew plenty who did too, but she would be lying if she said half the village didn't fear him.

"But I woke up, and after I realized what had happened I was crushed," Yamato gave a humorless laugh, "I honestly wished to be back in the tsukuyomi than to wake up in a pile of rubble surrounded by destruction, but that feeling quickly passed, because I was alive, and the people I cared for was alive and that was all that mattered. It's hard to not be affected by it. I've recently been focusing on the good in my life, before and after the war, and it's helped." Yamato gave Sakura a smile, a rare sight for sure. "Even talking now has helped even if it's just a bit."

"Thank you for sharing with me Sensei." Sakura was truly touched that he had opened up to her. She had never been close to her teacher, always feeling a sense of distancing from him, so it was nice to get a little peek into the infamous wood release user's mind.

The sound of running averted the two shinobi's attention to the one and only Rock Lee running towards them at full speed.

"My beautiful Sakura-Chan! What a lovely surprise for sure! I feel rejuvenated seeing your glowing face and I shall run another 100 laps to prove my worth!" Lee struck a pose and looked confidently into the sky.

"Hi Lee," Sakura laughed, "Was there something other than proving your worth you needed to say?"

"Ah Yes!" Lee exclaimed, "Thank you for reminding me, my love! So helpful!" The exuberant man turned to the forgotten man, "Yamato-San! I was running past the Hokage tower on my one hundredth lap when Hokage-Sama stopped and asked me to find you, since he heard of your arrival earlier, he requests your presence immediately!"

Yamato stood and brushed his pants off, "Well I should probably get going then, thanks for the heads up Lee" The mentioned boy nodded enthusiastically.

"My duty is done then! I am off for another hundred laps!" With that Lee took off in a flash without waiting for Sakura or Yamato to wish him goodbye.

Yamato was starting to leave when he suddenly turned back to Sakura who was still resting against the tree and back to staring off, "Remember Sakura, talking helps." She looked up and gave him a small smile.

"I'll keep that in mind." Yamato nodded and disappeared into a puff of smoke, leaving Sakura once again to enjoy the chirping birds.

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 **Let me know what you think! I promise Kakashi will be in the next chapter.**


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